Page 54 of Rebel Romeo

“You’re really a piece of work, you know that?” he says. It’s so quiet that if it weren’t for the good acoustics in the theater, I wouldn’t have even heard him.

“You want to villainize me and say I step on people to get ahead? Look in a fucking mirror, Holden. You and I together could be the king and queen of theater in this town. Together, we could be the power couple. Unstoppable. Because I might step on people to get ahead, but you will stab people in the back… your precious little Katherine included. You will annihilate anyone who stands in your way. Just like your father did to your mother.”

I suck in a sharp breath, freezing mid-crawl.

“Don’t you dare talk about my family like you know anything about them. You’ve never even met my mother.”

Footsteps stomp away, fading as they leave the stage.

“Yep! Just walk away!” Missy shouts after him. Then, she mutters to herself, “That’s what you do best.”

I wait for a few minutes in the silence of the theater, still on my belly on the floor of the back row of the theater, not sure if Missy is still there or not. Two brown dress shoes appear in front of my eyes and I slowly look up to find a handsome man staring down at me, that for a split second, I think is Nolan.

“What are you doing down there, Kate?” he says in a voice I don’t recognize.

When I blink up at him, I realize it’s not Nolan. He’s not quite as tall. Not quite as muscular. His voice, a little higher, more tenor than Nolan.

I push up to my knees, doing a quick sweep of the theater to look if Missy is anywhere nearby, but I don't see her. Brushing some dirt off my knees, I stand. “I’m sorry… do we know each other?”

“Oh!” He thumps the heel of his hand on his forehead. “Sorry. I’m Ellis. Nolan’s understudy.”

“Nolan’s… um, yeah, of course, hi.” I extend my hand, which he takes in a quick shake.

“Yeah, it all happened so fast. I was only sent the rehearsal tapes yesterday, but I spent all day watching and memorizing, so I should be good to go to get up there today.”

“Today?” My blood slows in my veins becoming thick and icy. Is Nolan not coming? Did he finally have enough of Missy? “Does that mean… is Nolan…?”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Katie.”

I spin around to find Nolan in the doorway of the theater, pushing his sunglasses to the top of his head.

“Nolan!” I exhale in relief and run into his open arms, hugging him.

He holds me tightly. “You didn’t think I’d leave you alone to fight these lions, did you?” he whispers in my ear. Then, he pulls back with a wink.

“Kate,” Maggie interrupts Nolan and me, touching my elbow. “Holden’s asking to see you.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Where is he?”

“He’s back in the dressing rooms. There’s some costuming question or something.”

I nod, knowing full well he doesn’t want to see me about any stupid costumes. Giving Nolan and Ellis a little wave, I head backstage to the dressing rooms, pausing in front of the door with my name on it.

I take a deep breath as the name Kate Harris stares back at me in blocky letters with two golden stars on either side.

My own dressing room.

My own Broadway dressing room.

Holy shit.

Emotions rush through me at the sight, butterflies taking flight in my belly.

This nameplate is the culmination of a lifetime of dreams. I want to celebrate. I want to dance and scream and jump for joy. Instead, I settle for a brief breath and press my hand to the letters, tracing my name with the tips of my fingers.

I use that nameplate to calm my firing nerves.

Then, with a final exhale, I push the ajar door wider open and give a little knock before peeking my head in. “Holden?”

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